14 episodes

“The History of the World’s Greatest Nightclubs.” From London Audio, iHeartRadio, and executive producer Paris Hilton. 

Hosted by Ultra Naté, this is a 12-part podcast exploring how different clubs around the world revolutionized the way we party. How they ushered in the birth of new genres and became hotspots for political activism. But above all how they created space for people to escape the world around them, to lose themselves in the music and leave it all on the dance floor. 

Nightclubs are sanctuaries where people find their chosen family. It's where you experience the joy of dancing in crowded rooms with people open to accepting you for who you are, or whoever you want to become, even if it’s only for the night.

Partying brings us together. Whether that’s under a mirror ball in New York or out in the sun in Lagos, beneath the glare of bright strobe lights in Berlin or while listening to the early sounds of a new genre in Detroit. They influence one another. 

Nightclubs do change the way we see the world. Because the pure joy of a good party has the unique ability to transcend language, culture and place. To reach people from different parts of the world and unite them through the magical, unshakable, desire to… dance.

“The History of the World’s Greatest Nightclubs” is executive produced by Paris Hilton, Bruce Gersh and Bruce Robertson for London Audio, and Jonathan Hirsch for Neon Hum Media.

Special thanks to our host and executive producer, Ultra Naté and the team at Peace Bisquit, Bill Coleman and Angelo “Pepe” Skordos.

The History of the World's Greatest Nightclubs iHeartPodcasts

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.7 • 101 Ratings

“The History of the World’s Greatest Nightclubs.” From London Audio, iHeartRadio, and executive producer Paris Hilton. 

Hosted by Ultra Naté, this is a 12-part podcast exploring how different clubs around the world revolutionized the way we party. How they ushered in the birth of new genres and became hotspots for political activism. But above all how they created space for people to escape the world around them, to lose themselves in the music and leave it all on the dance floor. 

Nightclubs are sanctuaries where people find their chosen family. It's where you experience the joy of dancing in crowded rooms with people open to accepting you for who you are, or whoever you want to become, even if it’s only for the night.

Partying brings us together. Whether that’s under a mirror ball in New York or out in the sun in Lagos, beneath the glare of bright strobe lights in Berlin or while listening to the early sounds of a new genre in Detroit. They influence one another. 

Nightclubs do change the way we see the world. Because the pure joy of a good party has the unique ability to transcend language, culture and place. To reach people from different parts of the world and unite them through the magical, unshakable, desire to… dance.

“The History of the World’s Greatest Nightclubs” is executive produced by Paris Hilton, Bruce Gersh and Bruce Robertson for London Audio, and Jonathan Hirsch for Neon Hum Media.

Special thanks to our host and executive producer, Ultra Naté and the team at Peace Bisquit, Bill Coleman and Angelo “Pepe” Skordos.

    Music Institute - Detroit, US

    Music Institute - Detroit, US

    This is the story of how a Black-owned club in downtown Detroit became central to the birth of Techno. The Music Institute was only open for 18 months, but in its short lifetime, it championed the birth of Techno music and became home to some of the most influential DJs and producers of its time. It inspired a generation of young Black people to make genre shifting music that would be heard around the world for decades to come. 
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 37 min
    Danceteria - New York, US

    Danceteria - New York, US

    Danceteria wasn’t just a nightclub. It was an artistic incubator at the heart of New York’s early 80s cultural renaissance. It became a space for musicians, artists, and activists to seek inspiration.  It was the club where Madonna performed on stage for the first time and Keith Haring painted art straight onto the walls, And in the midst of the AIDs crisis, it became the place New Yorkers escaped to find community, joy and the chance to lose themselves on the dancefloor.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 45 min
    Trade at Turnmills - London, UK

    Trade at Turnmills - London, UK

    Trade at Turnmills was a legendary London Queer nightclub that's unapologetically hedonistic late-night parties transformed the way we party. Opened in the wake of the AIDS crisis and a decade of conservatism under Margaret Thatcher’s rule, Trade gave LGBTQ+ people a space to celebrate and explore their identity, carving out a revolutionary space for London’s queer community to party at while their very existence was under attack. 
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 36 min
    Warehouse / Music Box - Chicago, US

    Warehouse / Music Box - Chicago, US

    The Warehouse and The Music Box were incredibly influential Chicago clubs that became ground zero for the rise of House Music. Under the supervision of Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy, these two house clubs cultivated a new genre of music created by people of color that would go on to form the very foundations of modern dance music as we know it.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 43 min
    The Haçienda - Manchester, UK

    The Haçienda - Manchester, UK

    The Haçienda, a nightclub run by the record label behind Joy Division and New Order, was a once-in-a-generation club that came to define British northern youth culture. It belonged to the young people of Manchester and during the rise of ecstasy, it pioneered acid-house music and inspired a generation of musicians, designers and artists in the midst of The Second Summer Of Love. 
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 32 min
    Les Bains Douches - Paris, France

    Les Bains Douches - Paris, France

    Les Bains Douches was a glamorous nightclub in the center of Paris that’s parties attracted some of the most famous and influential stars in the world. Housed in what was once Paris’s first and most decadent bathhouse, Les Bains Douches was a magical, musical experience that gave musicians like Mick Jagger, Diana Ross, and Prince a space to unwind, let loose and soak in the magic of beautiful Parisian nights. 
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 41 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
101 Ratings

101 Ratings

JAX7581 ,

Excellent

Really enjoyed listening to this podcast and to its host, Ultra Nate, over the summer. Nostalgic and informative. I’d been to Trade and Tunnel, but most of the other clubs I’d only heard about. Hope there is a second season … clubs like Sound Factory, Save the Robots and Limelight/Disco 2000 in NY; Community at 1015, Eyebeam and Tracadero Transfer in SF; Warsaw etc in MIA. So many clubs, stories and eras. Good job.

rachelerin2450 ,

Fantastic

I didn't live in the deep cuts of club life but spent a lot of time in my local clubs in D.C. and overseas in the late 90s. This podcast shares so much history of the music from this time and its genesis. Make a Season 2-please!

DBVNYC ,

What a brilliant well-delivered collaboration

I must say how impressed this is a brilliant collaboration between Ultra and Paris. They sync so well. I love the content. Well-researched and curated, with excellent delivery by Ultra. Ultra is taking us on a journey through the history of some of the finest clubs. Being an ex-Trade (London) person, with Ultra's storytelling (by the way, so on point), I was back there. Those wonderful hedonistic nights, all the memories began swirling around in my head all over again. Your heart was racing as you approached the club, feeling like you were about to lose yourself for a few hours until daylight came. Getting passed "Bev," the Bus Driver (during the day) doorperson, stepping down those stairs with that pulsating, bumping, pumping beat, seeing the smiling faces, people sitting on speakers, everyone moving in perfect sync!

I look forward to more of the same from Paris

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